From the coasts to the country’s mountainous interior, five up-and-coming destinations to put on Mexico must-visit list are Campeche Colonial, Playa Espiritu, Copper Canyon, Puebla and San Luis Potosi.

Mexico has always been known for its gorgeous resort towns and glittering white sandy beaches. Cancun, Acapulco, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta have long been known as popular resort towns. But tourism in Mexico is so much more, and the Pueblos Magicos – ‘Magic Villages’ – programme has been established to highlight Mexican destinations that may be off the beaten path.

Tourism has always been one of Mexico’s largest industries. Mexico is the number one destination for foreign tourists within the Latin America region and number two destination in the Americas, ranking worldwide in the tenth place in terms of the international tourist arrivals.

Mexico’s Travel & Tourism Economy increased its contribution to 13.2% of Mexico’s GDP, growing by 3.8%. Mexican tourism is blossoming, a fact attributable to a number of factors, not least it’s beautiful scenic views and Mediterranean weather. Although the resort towns of Mexico’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts are commonly frequented by tourists, most of mainland Mexico —all 1,220,610 square miles of it—is rarely seen.

Mexico is a historic and culturally rich country – tourists are being encouraged to explore further afield than the beaches. Lack of awareness about Mexico’s vastness and its diverse geography are two of the most persistent challenges the country faces with respect to tourism.

Gloria Guevara, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism said:

“People think they know Mexico, but they don’t, Mexicans don’t even know Mexico.”

The expansion of the Pueblos Magicos programme, established to spur domestic travel, which accounts for 85% of tourism in Mexico, has also drawn travellers to places that are less well-known than Cancun and Los Cabos. The majority of the Pueblos Magicos—which are so named because they possess unique symbols, legends, history, important events that convey Mexican history—are located in the interior.